Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Little Sins
"

Feb. 26, 2007

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5:12

Being the son of a blacksmith, I always liked the poem that began, “For want of a nail, the shoe was lost…” That poem continued on resulting with the loss of a rider, a battle and a kingdom. The point of the poem was simple: take care of the little things.

At least two of the pilots on American Airlines understand the principle behind the children’s nursery rhyme. Last week, they were flying from Tokyo to Dallas, when they heard a sound of an animal running around in the space above their heads in a space filled with wires leading to compartment of vital plane functions.

Not knowing exactly what was going on, the pilots landed in Honolulu and put their passengers in a hotel for the night. The federal wildlife and agriculture officers seized the plane and managed to trap a eastern gray squirrel. Now, you may not think of a cute little gray squirrel as being all that harmful, but the pilots knew squirrels chew through wiring. The pilots knew how to take care of the little things.

Little things. Jesus took care of little things. When Satan tempted Him in the wilderness, Jesus didn’t say, “It won’t hurt anything if I turn just a few stones into bread”, or “Who’s going to be harmed if I throw Myself off the temple and float down to the ground?” Jesus took care of the little things. He knew that if He violated any of God’s commandments, even once, the Father’s rescue mission to save humanity would have been over. Jesus took care of the little things and we should too. The author of Hebrews could say, “Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are-yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

Describing humanity’s first sin, the poet might have rightly said, “For want of obedience, eternal life was lost.” When Adam and Eve decided to take a nibble from the forbidden fruit, they probably didn’t think it would make much difference. Adam and Eve were so wrong; it took the life, death and resurrection of God’s own Son to make things right again.

Little things make a difference in nails, airplanes, sins, and the lives of the Lord’s forgiven people. God can use your seemingly insignificant acts of thanksgiving to Jesus and make them a witness that can point sinners to their Savior. It’s a little thing, but it’s worth remembering.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, we remember the greatness of Your cross, but we forget Your daily acts of obedience and Your continuous resisting of temptation. Help us remember in large and small ways that You did all that was necessary to save us. Motivated by Your love, may we make use of every opportunity, even the small ones, to show our joy for Your grace. In Your Name. Amen.

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